Darlin' Moonlight
by KittyAttack
Summary: Odd's got a secret, and Ulrich intends to find out. Drabble. O/U friendship.


The grass crunched softly under his feet, hardly walked but faded green. He wasn't sure why he came out here, exactly, but something drew him out here today, something nagging at the back of his head. So he listened, leaving the quiet, calm atmosphere of his shared dorm room to trek all the way out here.

He supposed he should be thankful that the sun was set high in the sky, shining warmly on him, warm enough that he got away with wearing just his light, army-green sweater jacket.  
As he reached the old, unused house, the peaceful notes of a piano struck his ears, and he hesitated, feet slowing to a stop as he listened to the smooth tones echoing in the otherwise silent air.

Slowly, he started forward again, moving past the long-since-rusted gates, cautiously pushing open the door with a soft creak and stepping through the doorway. His footfalls echoed dully through the quiet hall, buried under the increasing piano melody as he maneuvered his way around, eventually coming to a stop just outside the room he knew the piano resided in. With a soundless sigh, he peeked his head through the doorway, mouth becoming slack at the sight that greeted him.

Now, he had always known the boy perched in the piano bench was musically gifted, but he had never known he had played piano as well. Even so, he had never heard the song that drifted lazily through the still air; had he composed it himself?

He could only watch in amazement as the boy opened his mouth to sing; though it was in Italian, the green-clad boy understood perfectly. He knew this. Under his own free will, he opened his mouth and sang along his his own German tones.

'Darlin' Moonlight, you dance so sweet,  
Into the silence that you keep.  
Watch over her as she sleeps so soft,  
Under your glistening, silver cloth.'

The boy on the piano stand spun around, eyes wide as his fingers came to a halt on the white keys, mouth agape.

"Ul-Ulrich! Wha-"

"I didn't know you played," the boy called Ulrich mused softly, stepping farther into the room. He made a gesture to the piano as he spoke, quirking up an eyebrow. The blond blushed slightly, sheepishly grinning.

"I thought you knew." Ulrich only shook his head, smiling slightly. An awkward pause fell between the pair, in which the brunette moved closer, taking a seat next to his doormate on the slender piano bench.

"It's really been a year, hasn't it?" He whispered, gently laying his hands on the keys before him. The teen beside him nodded, fingers clenching into fists as he stared blankly at the keys under them. "Odd-"

"She loved you, you know. You were like an older brother to her. She missed you when you went home." Ulrich nodded, glancing at Odd from the corner of his eye. "Remember all the fun we had together? She was just so young, but she seemed so wise."

"She used to love it when you sung her to sleep. She looked forward to it every night," the brunette murmured, fingers dancing over the piano as he imagined himself playing, something he had never taken the time to learn. "Especially 'Darlin' Moonlight'."

Odd grimaced, fingers pressing down onto the keys darkly, filling the air with the lingering notes of sadness. He let them go, instead playing his fingers on his lap and intertwining them together. "She loved it when you joined in."

Silence ensued between the two boys, distant birdsong heard faintly through the broken window. When Ulrich could take no more, he pressed his fingers down on the keys, moving them over the span of the piano in a terrible attempt to replay the song Odd had been playing. An indignant snort sounded next to him and he stopped, huffing and turning to his friend. "What?"

"No offense, but you suck, good buddy," Odd mused, grinned slightly; already he was starting to seem like his old self again. His own fingers played along the keys, igniting the sound Ulrich was used to. With a frown, the warrior replaced his fingers, attempting to mimic his friend's own movements. It worked, somewhat - he wasn't nearly as fast as Odd, and he missed more keys than he could count - not to mention the incorrect notes - but he tried.

With an internally sly grin, Odd subtly slowed his pace, little by little, until Ulrich wasn't missing quite as many keys as before. When the song was over, they repeated it, again and again, until the brunette had a vague understanding of how to play it without constantly looking at Odd's movements.

Night soon fell over the two, the bright moon casting a silver glow over them as they stood, Odd placing the key cover back over the lonesome keys. They stood together, exiting the room in slight harmony and walking back to the dorms in complete silence. It was only when they finished dressing and crawled into their beds did they break the silence.

"I miss her, Ulrich," Odd mumbled tiredly. Ulrich nodded, even though the blond couldn't see.

"She misses you too. Heck, I even miss her," he replied softly, turning from his wall to face the blond he knew was hiding under his covers.

"I know we'll be together when I pass, but it was too soon for her to go." Ulrich nodded, letting a small silence fall over them, waiting for the small sniffles he knew were coming. Sure enough, Odd's stifled sobs were buried into his pillow, softly piercing the quiet air. With a deep sigh, Ulrich unraveled himself from his blankets and made his way over to his friend's bed; with a small shake of his head, he crawled in, mindful of keeping all body parts away from the blond's feet.

"It'll be ok, Odd," he soothed, drawing the boy to his chest and absorbing the stray tears with the cloth that covered it, "She'd want you to be happy." Odd sniffled, nodding his head into Ulrich's chest.

"Hey...Ulrich? Odd hesitantly called, falling silent on his sniffles.

"Mm?"

"Would it be ok...if you came with me back to the Hermitage tomorrow? After classes, that is," he whispered, glancing up in the dark to gauge the brunette's reaction; it was too dark, however, so he only saw the glow of the moonlight on his intense eyes.

The warrior was silent for a moment, before he let out a puff of air. "'course I will, stupid," he uttered, patting the blond on the head. Odd let a smile crease his face, and his eyes fell shut.

"We can *try* to teach you piano again as well," he snickered, knowing that the light smack to the back of his head was worth it.

"Good night, Odd." With a shuffle of sheets, Ulrich had himself fully encased in a cocoon, Odd safely beside him.

"Good night, Ulrich," he crooned, nestling into the sheets as well. As they each laid their eyes to rest, and as sleep slowly enveloped them, the soft melody of a piano drifted through each of their ears, lulling them into a peaceful dream.


End file.
